Operatives of the Nigeria Immigration Service and the police have rescued Ladi Abel, 45, the wife of a senior immigration officer, who was kidnapped on the Lagos-Badagry Expressway on Monday.

Mrs Abel was on her way to the Trade Fair Complex in Ojoo, Lagos, to buy goods when she was abducted.

Isaac Elijah, the public relations officer at the NIS Seme Border Command, told journalists in Badagry on Wednesday that the officer’s wife was rescued on Tuesday at 11:45 p.m. from No. 47, Ogunleye Street, a swampy area in Ibereko, Badagry.

Mr Elijah said the kidnappers fled the scene when they discovered that police and immigration officers were on their track, checking from house to house in the area.

“It took the efforts of about 20 immigration officers, 25 police officers, and some good people of the Ibereko community to rescue the victim.

“The divisional police officer of Badagry Police Station, CSP Folajimi Akosile, was in charge of the operation that busted the syndicate in their hideout.

“But unfortunately, none of them was arrested because they had fled, leaving only the victim in their hideout,” he said.

CSI Abel Mada, the victim’s husband, said he had already paid the sum of N2.5 million out of the N3 million ransom demanded by the kidnappers on Tuesday.

“When they were shouting at my wife, we first sent N500,000 and later, N2,000,000 in the evening, but they insisted that we have to balance the remaining N500,000 before they release her.

“I was still looking for the balance of N500,000 when I heard that she had been rescued by the police and immigration around the Ibereko swampy area,” he said.

The victim’s daughter, Naomi Abel, said her mother was kidnapped at the Torikoh bus stop area of Badagry while going to the Trade Fair Complex in a commercial bus.

Ms Naomi said the kidnappers were operating in two buses.

“When they entered the commercial vehicle, the men blew a white substance on them, which made them unconscious.

“About 15 of them were taken to their hideout in the Ibereko area, and they were taking them out one by one after receiving their ransom. My mother said some of the kidnapped victims in the bus were working for them,” she said.

Ms Naomi thanked the people involved in rescuing her mother.

(NAN)